Friendly Blog

It’s been said that if you love what you do, you’ll never work a day in your life. That may be a generous statement - you can love what you do AND work hard at it, as many of us do - but there’s some truth in the concept that passion brings happiness, and that sort of work doesn’t feel like a “regular” job. Doing what you love means chasing your calling - something that feels amazing and brings out the best in many of us. It’s also how Friendly Fables began!

We got into this business not for the business of it at all - it was all about sharing stories and chasing our dreams. Today, Friendly Fables children’s books are on shelves everywhere, from bookstores to family homes and even school classrooms. This brings us more joy than we can describe and has led to the development of in-school reading and writing workshops by Alexis Alexander and the Friendly Fables team. We’ve already been to many schools in Durham Region and the Greater Toronto Area - and yours could be next!

A call to all parents, teachers and book lovers

Our school program involves storytime sessions for younger kids and/or creative writing workshops for older students. There is a dynamic, engaging presentation followed by an interactive learning session that is appropriate to the age of the students involved. We have visited a number of elementary schools and can provide customized programs to reflect the age and interests of your class. We can even tie in the curriculum or whatever topic you’re studying in class! Our books have plenty of life lessons, so these sessions can focus on self-esteem, honesty, health, friendship, animals and more - whatever works best for your students and school!

Why we love doing this

At a recent school visit, author Alexis Alexander held a writing session with a group of older students he cheekily described as cantankerous - his way of calling them grumpy, uninterested and perhaps a bit “too cool” for a workshop with a children’s author. Alexis took this group as a challenge and quickly engaged with them, changing the energy in the room by bringing up creative writing pursuits like screenwriting, video game scripts, memoir, poetry, scary stories, humour and more. He encouraged all of the kids to find something they felt passionate about, whether it was skateboarding or their best friend, and write about it in whatever format worked for them. Soon, some amazing stories were being developed and there were smiles all around. This turnaround made Alexis’ day!

Other times, Alexis has seen groups of older kids loosen up when mixed in with younger kids in a session. While a group of grade 3 and 4 students may be quiet and somewhat self-conscious, they let themselves laugh a little more freely when younger kids are incorporated into the storytime session. Whatever the challenge, there are ways to make sure everyone has a great time (and learns something, too).

Here’s how to get Friendly Fables in your kids’ school

Contact us! We’d be more than happy to provide information or send it directly to your school’s administration or parent council.

Share us on social! The more love we get out there on the big ol’ Internet, the better reach we have to connect with parents, teachers and students across Canada.

Thanks as always for your support - have a great weekend, everyone!

It’s been said that if you love what you do, you’ll never work a day in your life. That may be a generous statement - you can love what you do AND work hard at it, as many of us do - but there’s some truth in the concept that passion brings happiness, and that sort of work doesn’t feel like a “regular” job. Doing what you love means chasing your calling - something that feels amazing and brings out the best in many of us. It’s also how Friendly Fables began!

We got into this business not for the business of it at all - it was all about sharing stories and chasing our dreams. Today, Friendly Fables children’s books are on shelves everywhere, from bookstores to family homes and even school classrooms. This brings us more joy than we can describe and has led to the development of in-school reading and writing workshops by Alexis Alexander and the Friendly Fables team. We’ve already been to many schools in Durham Region and the Greater Toronto Area - and yours could be next!

A call to all parents, teachers and book lovers

Our school program involves storytime sessions for younger kids and/or creative writing workshops for older students. There is a dynamic, engaging presentation followed by an interactive learning session that is appropriate to the age of the students involved. We have visited a number of elementary schools and can provide customized programs to reflect the age and interests of your class. We can even tie in the curriculum or whatever topic you’re studying in class! Our books have plenty of life lessons, so these sessions can focus on self-esteem, honesty, health, friendship, animals and more - whatever works best for your students and school!

Why we love doing this

At a recent school visit, author Alexis Alexander held a writing session with a group of older students he cheekily described as cantankerous - his way of calling them grumpy, uninterested and perhaps a bit “too cool” for a workshop with a children’s author. Alexis took this group as a challenge and quickly engaged with them, changing the energy in the room by bringing up creative writing pursuits like screenwriting, video game scripts, memoir, poetry, scary stories, humour and more. He encouraged all of the kids to find something they felt passionate about, whether it was skateboarding or their best friend, and write about it in whatever format worked for them. Soon, some amazing stories were being developed and there were smiles all around. This turnaround made Alexis’ day!

Other times, Alexis has seen groups of older kids loosen up when mixed in with younger kids in a session. While a group of grade 3 and 4 students may be quiet and somewhat self-conscious, they let themselves laugh a little more freely when younger kids are incorporated into the storytime session. Whatever the challenge, there are ways to make sure everyone has a great time (and learns something, too).

Here’s how to get Friendly Fables in your kids’ school

Contact us! We’d be more than happy to provide information or send it directly to your school’s administration or parent council.